There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs

Description

Phil Ochs burst onto the American music scene as the popularity of folk music was breaking through nationally, writing some of the most compelling topical music of his time.There But for Fortuneexplores the life and career of a singer, songwriter, and political activist whose music resonates today as much as it applied to a divided country a half-century ago.

Michael Schumacher has written seventeen books, including, most recently, The Contest: The 1968 Election and the War for America's Soul (Minnesota, 2018) and First Thought: Conversations with Allen Ginsberg (Minnesota, 2017). He lives in Wisconsin.

"A riveting, colorful, and anecdote-rich tale, well researched and finely told."-Boston Globe "Schumacher keeps his eye on the main theme: Phil Ochs wanted to sing the truth."-Chicago Tribune "Through extensive interviews with Ochs's family members, friends and business associates, Schumacher constructs a balanced portrait of the musician's brief but eventful life."-Publishers Weekly "There But for Fortune intensely studies the burgeoning-and surprisingly competitive-'60s folk scene and Ochs' place in it. In revisiting the societal and political tumult of the period, following Ochs to the deep South for an education in the Civil Rights Movement and detailing his involvement in the anti-war movement, Schumacher employs the zeal of a journalist searching for the truth and a historian's passion for the subject matter."-Elmore Magazine